I.B.F.Fs In: Pillow Fairies - Chapter 1: Beyond The Clouds

Once upon a time, there was a cosy world that existed just over the rainbow and beyond the clouds. It was so soft, you could almost touch it. People down below have claimed to see it time and time again, and some scholars believed fairies lived there. Do you think fairies live there? I think you’re right. In this magic land, a colony of fairies flittered around making their world soft and new. They brought cuddly comfort to the clouds, they made the rivers and streams feel and taste like pure milk and their flowers always brought fresh sap every day. Wearing nothing but bare, smooth skin, our little band of fairies flew here and there, making sure everything wasn’t out of place and just as snuggly as nature intended. The fairy children spend their time playing among the clouds and telling each other stories about the human world. However, four fairy children love to play better than any other…

That’s right, our names are Luke, Resus, Cleo and Sybil. We claim to be the best out of all the fairy children in Softopia, because we tend to have the most fun. Usually we’d sit around in a circle listening to one of the fairies tell stories about how the whale got its song or how the lion and the hyena became friends, but while all this was going on, we like to make our own soft fun. We’d snuggle up in the clouds and tickle each other, until our laughter was heard by other unsuspecting fairy children. We’d dive into the milk pool and splash each other and relax in a daily skin ritual. Best of all, we liked visiting the most tranquil place in Softopia - the flowers. Pillow flowers, you should call them. We love relaxing on the pillow flowers, because they proved to be the softest out of any of the flowers that grew in this kind, gentle world.

For many years, we were happy living there. So happy that nothing ever happened to our world. Not a single flood, or lightning storm, or earthquake, hit. Softopia was a safe world where fairies lived in perfect peace and harmony, hiding in the clouds, bathing in milk or sleeping in flowers. No fairy troop had ever experienced a softness such as this, especially us. We were fond of sunshine and soft, Summer breezes and fun, and we are inseparable. I often promised my friends we would never, ever part. Every day was safe and fine, as long as we played in the clouds. Sometimes, the peace will not be to last, and I’ll tell you of one particular time.

One sunny, warm day, Luke, Resus, Cleo and I decided to visit our old friend, Indy The Wise. Even though she was 6 years old, Indy was the wisest girl in all of Softopia. She was always there to tell the most interesting tales and give wisdom and advice for anyone struggling to be at one with these soft surroundings. She was often spotted doing yoga amidst burning, strawberry-scented candles, and when she’s not, she’s basically telling stories. We loved to visit her to hear a different story every day. The other week, she told us about a scarecrow who wished he could swim underwater. A dolphin fairy had to come and wave her magic wand, and then the scarecrow ran away from the farm, stripped off his raggedy old clothes and dived into the sea. That was it. Indy had learnt all these stories from her mentor Calypso, the head of all the fairies in Softopia, which is why she had gained so much knowledge.

We entered the hollow tree where Indy lived. She was searching through her big book of wisdom and tutting. “Oh no…oh no oh no. Oh no no no no no.” She was pondering to herself. “This doesn’t seem right at all.” “What’s the matter, oh Indy The Wise?” I asked. “This is definitely not happening, not at this moment.” “What’s not happening?” asked Luke. “The great storm.” Indy worried. We all gasped in shock. “The great storm?!” “But we never had a storm in Softopia, not in a million years!” I wailed. “I know, and the latest tale in my book isn’t a story, it’s a prophecy. Listen on and I will tell you.” Indy cleared his throat and began to read.

“In a day, Softopia will witness a great storm that will turn what was once soft, warm and comfortable to hard, cold stone. No milk, no sap and no pillows could ever be stored for safety in homes across the land, leaving all the fairies futureless. Legend has it that only four fairies with courageous hearts will be able to force their way into the human world and collect the legendary Golden Pillow that’ll have the power to bring the softness back to their world.”

For a few moments, we were all quiet. Then we just sighed and laughed, scoffing. “There’s no such thing as a storm anyway!” I laughed. “A storm? What makes you think that?” Resus giggled. “There’s no storm!” said Cleo, “It was something you made up when your mind told you to.” “I’m being serious, if the storm hits your land, then to the human world you must seek the Golden Pillow.” But before she could stop us, we left! Indy sighed and slammed the book shut. “What a bunch of non-believers. I hope that someday I could persuade them to believe. Oh well, I’d best make myself a nice cup of acorn cocoa and head off to bed. I think I should have to call it a day.” But as she went upstairs, outside the tree, a grey storm cloud was looming in the distance, thunder and lightning crashing like a thousand cymbals…

Luke, Resus, Cleo and I made our way home, laughing and joking. “Who cares about a storm?” I laughed, “Storms make no sense!” “Not to us fairies they don’t,” said Resus. “Fairies believe in softness and love, not storms and violence.” “Let’s ignore the fact that the storm might be upon us any minute and just get on with our lives. Never has there ever been-” Just then, our parents - Mike, Sue, Alston, Bella and Niles - fluttered in. “You look pale as death! Where have you been?” asked Mr Watson. “We’ve just been to visit Indy The Wise.” said Luke. “She told us that there’s going to be a storm, but we’re not falling for it.” “We have to keep our eyes open for what’ll happen to us when a storm does hit.” said Bella. “Anyway, look at the setting sun! It must be time for our little fairies to go to bed.” We sighed in relief. Bed. What a comfortable word. Our eyes were already getting heavier and our wings were getting tired too.

First, we had a little drink - the sap from the bluebells that grew in the meadow. The sap tasted remarkably sticky and a little like honey, but it still cleansed our pallets whenever it could. The taste was loved by anyone in our family, and usually sap was pollinated by bees, but bees can’t fly further than the rainbow anyway. Sap was our favourite thing to drink, and it exists in flowers too. Next, we had a bath to cleanse all the stickiness away. We bathed in pure, sweet milk. We were washed all over with a green leaf scrubbing brush, and Resus struggled when Alston, his father, used the sponge to clean his face, for cleaning was his least favourite thing. We were vigorously dried with a leaf towel, and then we flew over to the Pillow Flowers and snuggled on the soft petals, falling fast asleep. As soon as we did, I turned over and lay awake. “What if Indy was right about her story? What if Softopia really does turn to stone?”

My what ifs were true. That night, a big wind blew across the soft plains. It got heavier and more violent, and then it began to rain. The cloudy ground became all soggy, and the flowers and trees blew in the wind. Only the Pillow Flowers stood still in the heavy breeze. Then came the lightning. It crashed and flashed in the darkness. It struck every single plant and flower in this magical world, and a hard, cold stone coating built up around the ground, the grass, the clouds, the flowers and trees, until the wind subsided, and there was nothing but silence. The ground was hard as stone - literally. It was lucky the storm never struck the Pillow Flowers, because that was where the prophecy came full circle. However, it wouldn’t begin until the very next day…

I.B.F.Fs: Travel Sickness - Chapter 1: Take Off & Land

Ah, the outback. A magical place at the bottom of the world where the mystery of nature springs into life in unexpected places. This was where Luke, Resus, Cleo and I like to hang out. We live among the gumtrees in the rocky plains of the outback, and have a picnic outside every Tuesday. Every time we do, a pair of cheeky lorikeets all pink and white would come flying down and scoff one or two of our sandwiches. We don’t mind the lorikeets eating our sandwiches, we always invite them to share our tea anytime. Lorikeets are extremely fond of peanut butter sandwiches if you ask me, although they taste a bit rubbery in their mouths. Every day in our outback home, we’d bounce with kangaroos and see how high we can jump. We’d play with emus and learn how to stick our heads in the ground just in case of any danger. We’d run from frill-necked lizards when they ran across the plain screaming. We’d drink water from the watering hole with two sly-looking wildcats. Life was sweet in the outback, even though it was extremely hot.

One day, we went to a School Of The Air in Alice Springs. If you don’t know what a School Of The Air is, it’s a radio station that teaches children who live too far from school. “Today’s visitors are here to tell us all about the joys of Australia - Luke, Resus, Cleo and Sybil!” said the teacher. “Hi!” we all said. “So, Sybil, about your life here in Australia. Do you enjoy it as much as your siblings do?” asked the teacher. “Of course I do. Precisely speaking, I never thought of this myself, but Australia is a very hot country. This is probably why people go swimming on the beach all the time, and did I forget to mention there are kangaroos jumping about? Why of course, yes, because there are loads of them where we live, by the way as we sit on the front porch we could always see kangaroos bounce past every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…” I went on and on about Australia. So much in fact that the teacher, my siblings and the listeners listening fell fast asleep.

“...and did you taste all the vegemite there? I’m not particulary fond of vegemite, it gives me terrible diarrhoea, and sometimes it makes me vomit too, that’s why we don’t stock up on vegemite in the house, and…” “Okay, okay, slow down, you’re making it hard for the other passengers to concentrate.” I looked around. I was on a plane with my family to Australia. Luke, Resus, Cleo and their parents were all asleep, while other people were sitting quietly in rows and rows along the plane. “We must be very high up.” I said. “High up as in on a plane, you mean,” said Mum. “At least you didn’t scream that we’re going to crash this time. I think you must be very excited about our visit to Aunt Marie’s beach house in Queensland.” “Yes, Mum!” I smiled, “I’ve been thinking about that trip all year!” Aunt Marie lived in a lovely house on the coast of a beach in Queensland. She looked exactly like my mother - friendly and young, with dark blonde hair.

The effects of the flight was making my eyes feel heavy, and my ears pop like little balloons in my eardrums, but I had to stay awake. I’ve fallen asleep multiple times on car journeys to see relatives like Aunt F and Six. One time, I felt sick in the car and Cleo had to comfort me. Here’s hoping I didn’t get sick on the plane too. I looked out the window at the clouds that passed by. Then I looked down at the ocean far below. Some small grey dots were bouncing about in the water. I looked a bit closer, then realised something. They were dolphins! Actual, real live dolphins! “Mum! Mum! Look! I see dolphins!” I cried. “So I see,” said Mum, “Dolphins are very common here in Australia. There are even sightings of them on the Queensland beach. At least, that’s what Aunt Marie told me.” “I wish Luke, Resus and Cleo were able to see this,” I hoped, looking over at my sleeping siblings.

When the plane finally landed, I shook my siblings awake excitedly. “Wake up!” I shouted, “We’re here! Luke! Resus! Cleo! Get up! We’re here!” “Wha…what?” asked Luke. “We’re finally here, in Australia!” I said. Luke, Resus and Cleo gazed out the window. They were at an Australian airport. We were so excited we just had to high five each other. We’ve never been more excited. However, as we got off the plane we felt our legs shake and shiver, as if cold air had just been applied to the heat pressure on the plane. “Mum, my legs are all shaky,” I said. “Don’t worry, darling, it’s just the effects of an international flight.” “I think mine are too,” said Resus. “I feel like we’re going to fall off the plane any minute,” groaned Cleo. “Well, you’ll get your energy back when you see Aunt Marie.” laughed Mrs Watson, patting Luke on the back. “Hey! Not too hard,” moaned Luke.

As we went to the arrivals area, we saw Aunt Marie waiting for us amongst a crowd of people waiting for their relatives. “Sybil!” she screamed. “Aunt Marie!” we yelled back, as we ran to the woman who looked just like my mum. She grabbed us in a bear hug, but she had to let go when we started moaning and our legs started shaking. “Oh dear. You must be very creased after flying all the way over from the UK to see me,” she said. “They’ll get used to it. They are on holiday after all, and they’re very far away from the UK.” said Mr Watson. “Cleo felt it too, but I don’t think that happened to me,” said Niles, “I don’t have the guts.” Everyone laughed. “No puns please,” groaned Cleo. “We feel tired enough as it is.” I moaned. “You see, Marie, Sybil and her siblings are just tired because they’ve been excited about this trip, we had a hectic morning getting ready and taking off to fly around the world to Australia, and now they’re just…well, tired.” Aunt Marie chuckled. “Never mind, they can fall asleep as soon as we get in.”

We caught the Airport Express bus to Aunt Marie’s beach house. As we sat and looked out at the views, we tried hard not to fall asleep, but it was hard with the sounds of our parents laughing and joking. I felt something in my stomach churn around, like milk being mixed with butter to make cheese from the cows. In fact, we felt like cows, groaning and moaning as we felt our stomach acid bubble and fizz, pop and gurgle, twist and turn, almost like a milk machine. Imagine a cow’s stomach acid. It’s so thick and creamy, and sometimes a bit smelly from producing so much milk, that you might have a hard time learning in school about where your dairy products come from. Well, if they come from a cow’s smelly belly, you might be so grossed out you could get out a barf bag that you took to school for the lesson and vomited in sync with all your classmates. Oh my god, the agony!

We finally approached Aunt Marie’s house. The inside was neat and tidy, and the scent of vanilla and spiced apple filled the room. The walls were coloured brown, as if someone hammered wood into them. The carpet was deep red, and you should see our bedroom. It was cream coloured and spotless, there were velvet curtains letting the sun shine through, and our bed was patterned with pictures of roses and butterflies. A soft toy of a kangaroo lay on the bed for us to see. Above the bed was a really strange picture made using spots. “That’s my pride and joy,” said Aunt Marie, “My Aboriginal dot art dingo painting. I was given this painting by the Australian Museum as a thank you for donating my prized didgeridoo.” “Nice story, but we feel a little tired after travelling on a plane, then a bus, and now our eyes are really heavy,” said Resus. “You must be exhausted. I feel you should need a rest after travelling so much.”

So we unpacked our pyjamas and my favourite stuffed animals, Longears and Pink Teddy. We squeezed into our pyjamas, which were soft and comfortable - save for Cleo, she doesn’t wear pyjamas - and turned to gaze at the dingo picture.  The dingo was made of a million spots, but according to our vision, it got wobbly and the thousands of dots turned to hundred-thousands, then thousand hundreds. Our legs began to shake again, and our stomachs were still churning like those of cows’, and we felt like we really should go to bed. So we got under the covers and snuggled down under the soft, serene sheets, the sweet scent of pink roses filling our nostrils. “This dingo picture is so amazing,” I groaned. “Is it indeed,” said Resus, “I feel like it’s coming to life as we speak.” “Well, I feel like there’s an actual dingo on the beach right now as we speak,” said Cleo. We laughed weakly. “No dingo would set paw on the beach next to Aunt Marie’s. Why would we even bother to let it come in and steal our food? We do need a good, long…”

But we yawned and settled down to sleep under the covers. Everything was quiet, save for the wind blowing outside the sunny windows. We felt so sleepy, that instantly, we drifted into a wonderful dream…

589 Chapters? Nah-AH!

You asked for it, you got it, bumblenuts! Now, there will be a 13-chapter-long version of my trip to Australia with Luke, Resus and Cleo. Yep, you got it, 13 chapters. I'm thinking about including a Woolworths imitation in there - no, not the UK Woolworths, with the sheep and dog and everything, the Australian supermarket - alongside a barbecue and a few beach trips. Now our trip to stay with Aunt Marie will be more detailed than ever. It's not without the Curry Quest formula for each chapter though. Originally, I was going to do 589 chapters, but it was too long, so I shortened it down to 13. Stay tuned for the first chapter, coming tomorrow!

Children's Party At The Palace

Our beloved Queen has gone to the great palace in the sky, so I've decided to reunite you with an event that happened when I was six. I've seen it in Radio Times once. It was a whole gaggle of British children's characters - Noddy, Postman Pat, Winnie The Pooh, the Mr Men, Maisy and even my friend Kipper - all entertaining children at Buckingham Palace. This was broadcast on CBBC once. Do you remember? So many memories...

George The Puppy

My support worker introduced me to someone new today, though I won't mention her name due to internet rules. She had a cute little puppy called George, she laughed a lot and most of all, HER SON WAS BEN!!! WHAAAAAAAT?! We had a picnic on the beach while watching erupting tides and daddy long legs flying about. I hate it when daddy long legs invade Scotland. While I was hanging out with Sarah and Tom at Key, there was lots of noise and there was a bee on my shoe! Yikes! The bells were ringing to highlight the coronation of King Charles, and there was too much noise so I demanded to go home. Hopefully I'll meet George sometime soon!

Who Will Visit You At Teatime?

I like to imagine Tina as a big white dog with orange ears and yellow, blue and red splodges all over her body. Tina, Luke, Resus, Cleo, Bluey and Bingo are the many people I want to invite for tea. Who would you invite? This activity from The Tiger Who Came To Tea will let you draw your imaginary friend as a tea guest!

https://www.tigerwhocametotea.com/activities-downloads/draw-favourite-teatime-visitor/

When A Tiger Came To Tea

 

Today's tale is copyright free and features Bluey and Bingo stand ins Cookie and Candy. It also features a Tina stand-in, named Splodge, and this story is a definite reminder of the children's book The Tiger Who Came To Tea. There's even a big party based on the book, complete with a yummy cake like the one above. Check this cake and other details out!

https://karaspartyideas.com/2021/06/when-a-tiger-came-to-tea-birthday-party.html

I'm Shaun & Danger Mouse!

Imagine if you could be a sheep and a mouse at the same time...

Well, I am! I did these quizzes on the CBBC website, and now I'm both the main stars of Shaun The Sheep and Danger Mouse! I'm Shaun and DM, by the way. Who might you be? Find out with these fun quizzes! Even though I hate CBBC, I do so love quizzes on the sight like these!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/quizzes/which-danger-mouse-character-are-you

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/quizzes/shaun-the-sheep-personality-quiz

Shaun The Sheep

Disney+ Day Is Weird!

You know what this year's Disney+ Day is?

WEIRD! So weird, you'l never trust the mouse ever again!

I.B.F.Fs Presents: Splodge

Have you heard of the preschool show Cookie Dough? Everyone loves it, it’s based on a series of chaptered books by Jane Bellington, from Australia. Even though the books come in chapters, I really do like both the books and the TV series. I happened to live in Australia myself. My name is Cosima. Some people call me Cosmo for short. I like to write heaps of fanfiction based on an episode where Cookie and her little sister Candy have an imaginary friend called Splodge. Splodge isn’t seen throughout the entire episode visually, but I like to imagine her. When the episode first came to my country, I drew Splodge as a tall dog with white fur, orange ears and yellow, pink and green polka dots. I put it up on my wall so, technically speaking, Splodge can keep monsters away. I’ve also been writing heaps of fanfiction about Splodge going on wild adventures with Cookie and Candy and posting them online on my Fanfiction account.

The only problem is, I was born with autism, which means I have difficult periods of time coping with various sensory experiences, like when there are dirty smells in the boys’ changing rooms when I was at school, or when there are screaming kids in every place I eat out at. It just isn’t fair on me. It’s not my fault that my ears are sensitive, it’s just how I was born. At school, everyone made fun of me and said I had to go to a special school for special people. One of the boys was becoming more popular than I was. I punched him in the face and got into serious trouble. I was grounded for a month, with only my pencils, pens and laptop for company. It’s still engraved in my memory today. With Splodge, I have nothing to worry about.

One day, I was dressing and putting on my favourite strawberry perfume, ready to go out with my support worker Ryan to my favourite restaurant, Chieftains. It’s home of my favourite snack, fish and chips. I always loved the greasy taste of fish on my lips, and chips slathered in rivers of tomato ketchup. This is why Chieftains is my favourite place in town. Just as I was putting on my earrings, I heard someone call my name. “Cosmo…Cosmo…” I looked around. It was a female voice, calling my name. I looked around, but couldn’t see anyone. When I looked down on the floor, I saw a trial of colourful pawprints leading downstairs. I thought, surely I don’t own a pet dog, and anyway my mum is allergic to animals.

I followed the footprints down into the kitchen and heard some greedy munching sounds. I tiptoed over to the fridge and saw a sight that almost made my eyes melt out of their sockets. White fur? Check. Colourful spots? Check. Orange ears? Check. It was Splodge, my very creation, sitting on the kitchen floor and stuffing herself with ready salted crisps. “Excuse me!” I called. Splodge looked around and stuffed the crisps back into the fridge. “Oh dear! Oh, oh, I’m so sorry. Er…how do I start? Oh yes, er, my name is Splodge, imaginary friend to anyone in the world!” “You can be friends with anyone?” I asked. “Yes!” cried Splodge, “You got that in one! I am not only Cookie and Candy’s friend but I’m also the whole world’s friend!” “My name is Cosima,” I introduced. “Cosima, eh? I never heard of such an incredible person as you. Now, what’s your problem?”

I lead Splodge up to my bedroom and told her all about Chieftains. “Every time I go there, there’s always loud noises. The same goes for when I go to the zoo on weekends. There’s always loud noises there too, so I can’t concentrate on the animals there.” “You know what people are like these days, they’re so noisy they frighten away zoo animals.” said Splodge. “You’re right, people should be quiet to avoid animals being scared.” I said. “So what can I do to avoid the loud noises in the restaurant?” Splodge took out a black bag with lots of colourful shapes on it. “This is my Anything Bag. It holds quite literally everything.” He rummaged through the bag, taking out a lamp, a rubber duck, a cat and a whale soft toy before holding out a pair of yellow ear defenders. “There you go,” she said, putting them on my head, “Now you’ll be free of noise for the rest of the journey!” “Wow!” I cried, “Thanks!”

Later, I drove with Ryan to Chieftain’s. Splodge sat in the back with me, listening to music on her iPod. I liked the design of it because it had a piece of candyfloss on it instead of an apple. Ryan and I sat down at a table and ordered fish and chips and a banana milkshake for me, and a salad and a glass of Coke for Ryan. It was lucky I had my ear defenders on, because while I was waiting and sharing my food with Splodge, I didn’t hear a baby crying near the next table. Splodge knew what she had to do. He skedaddled over to the table and took out his Anything Bag. She brought out a rattle designed to look like a teddy bear and shook it in front of the baby. The baby clapped and giggled delightedly, and Splodge gave him the rattle to shake. Then he heard a toddler wailing. “Muuuuuum, there’s no internet connection!” she whined. To my amazement, Splodge magically disappeared. Before you knew it, music blasted out of the tablet as Splodge appeared on the tablet’s screens, dancing as if she were Michael Jackson or someone. The toddler was so delighted she bounced up and down in her seat. She was so happy she didn’t concentrate on her food!

With Splodge entertaining the children, everything was quiet now. Something remarkable happened shortly afterwards: I took off my ear defenders and placed them on the table. Ryan was amazed. He laughed and patted me on the back. “Well done, Cosmo! You made the decision to sit in the restaurant without ear defenders!” “Thanks, Ryan,” I giggled. “So, who made this restaurant really quiet?” “Splodge!” I cried. “Splodge did it!” “You and your stories,” laughed Ryan, “All you obsess over is Splodge.” “That’s what I like.” I smiled.

Later, at home, it was bedtime. Splodge sat on the bed and listened as I told her all about my trip to Chieftains, and how she helped me. “I wouldn’t have been able to survive my restaurant trip without you,” I smiled, “You’re a big help to me.” “A big help is a helping hand,” smiled Splodge, “But I must be going now. Cookie and Candy will be wondering where I am. I’ll be back to see you tomorrow when you do your next piece of fanfiction, alright?” “Right,” I said. “Goodnight, Splodge.” “Goodnight, mate,” said Splodge, and she disappeared with a POOF! I looked at Splodge’s picture one last time, and then settled down to sleep.

At Cookie and Candy’s house, Splodge magically appeared in their bedroom. She went up to Cookie and gave her a goodnight kiss, and then she went up to Candy and did the same. She yawned, and became a wisp, whisking herself away under Candy’s bed, so she can sleep until tomorrow.

THE END.

Peeling Potatoes

Today I helped peel potatoes for my support worker. A hearty meal may have made my belly full, but on a day where you pull faces at your local health centre, you can also alert your support worker about a fire. And I helped Charlotte put it out - through the power of words!

Where Oh Where Is Bluey?

I love, love, LOVE my new Bluey search-and-find book. It's not just any search and find book, every little detail in each picture tells a story, just by looking at the characters that are littered throughout each scene. Perfect for the next big story idea!